Central City High
by FullmetalxChaos
Summary: AU: It's only Ed's first day at a new high school and he is already in trouble. High school drama ensues when he meets the most popular guy in school. [Yes I suck at summaries] Eventual EdxRoy. Rated for Ed's mouth among other things.. [CHAPTER 3 UP!]
1. Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

**A/N: This is another AU EdxRoy so enjoy ; basically it was inspired when one day in school I nearly got thrown in ISS cause I was on the phone on my free period. _Those bastards_. Most of the OC in this story are people that I actually know/have known, mostly the adults are all teachers that I had one time or another. Ed's schedule I derived from my sophomore year in High School -blushes- … Alright already so I have an obsession! I know! This is my first fanfiction pretty much, so go easy on a noob for once. R&R too pleaseee**

**WARNING: This story does contain m/m or slash/yaoi in later chapters, so if you don't like don't read best advice to you. **

**No flaming pleaseee I'm in love with EdxRoy so stop trying to crush my dreams xD**

**Disclaimer: They whore themselves to me, it means I don't own 'em.**

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****Chapter 1: A Fresh Start**

The building was towering; a gigantic brick structure that had been built and perfected sometime back when his parents were children. The windows flashed a weathered yellow in the brilliance of the morning sky. The high arching fence with the pointed metal stakes surrounded the school. Behind that fence encased the large rectangular structure of Central City High School, one of the few high schools around the inner city area that was worth mentioning. It looked very much like a prison, a place where they put unruly kids during the hours of 8 am and 3:15 pm. The dome shaped entrance hall, which was encased by glass and brick alike was the only part of the structure that was able to break the skyline. It appeared in all it's glory to resemble a very importunate dog-igloo, the opening being larger than the actually structure itself. It was the kind of thing that one uses to keep Fido out of the rain on stormy nights. And so it was also a dwelling place for some of the most unwanted kids of Central City.

The building appeared out of place, a time capsule buried within the heart of the city expressing the conservative architecture of years now long past. Yet it stood still unwavering within the unearthed sands of time, allowing itself to corrode in the midday sun day after day. It was a strong structure, built to last.

The parking lot looked like a black oasis filled with cars as the sun dared to creep higher into the sky announcing the day's beginning. The sign that hung out front of the school seemed to address no one, yet at the same time everyone. The lettering of the sign's one simple phrase glowed dimly in the blinding temperature of the day, _'Central Vs. Eastern Home game, this Friday!' _

A young boy glowered at the sign, a clear hatred lit within his determined golden eyes as he passed the school's sign. The faded moron letters appeared sun stained and translucent:

_**Central City High School**_

**_Home of the Panthers_**

He walked past the sign barely giving it the time of day as he passed through the spiked fence that had been pried open in one section of all the student traffic to flow in through. Passing the rusty spiked fence, he could now see the enormous building before him. The under hang of what was the parent pick up loop glimmered in the sun, looking like a rare silver band wrapped around the hideous wrist of an aging person. Even from a distance the boy could tell that the building was falling apart. He shouldered his bag as he walked towards the decaying structure, passing the myriad trees in the parking lot. The trees were more of a comfort than anything in the black oasis of asphalt in the middle of the summer day.

Shouldering his black side bag, sweat poured from the small frame of the boy as he had walked nearly half of the parking lot. He had worn clothing that he thought befitted a high school student, a pair of ripped up jeans, and a black t-shirt with faded lettering across the front describing some obscure band or other. He had layered this black shirt with a white long-sleeved one underneath to hide the obvious imperfection of a metal limb that was now heating up slowly beneath the layers of clothing. The young boy was also bundled up in a long red hooded trench coat, it wasn't the kind that swept the floor, but it was close to it. A symbol on the back of the coat could easily be mistaken for satanic if one was not familiar with the meticulous science of alchemy. The usual platform boots clicked across the flat pavement, allowing the short figure to appear just a few inches taller than he really was. The last item of clothing that seemed a bit strange was the single black glove that he wore over his right hand.

Than he heard it, the sound that would reaffirm his fears: the screech of the minute bell.

It was his first goddamned day at the damn school and he was _already _late. The minute bell had been a shrill echo throughout the outside hallway that adjoined the parking lot. The noise only seemed to give the short blonde a splitting headache rather than remind him that he had somewhere to be.

Breaking into a sort of run, the boy let a sort of grimace cross his features, knowing that there would be Hell to pay if he wasn't in first period within the next few 60 seconds. Covering the rest of the parking lot within less than 30 seconds, he found himself in the open hallway striding towards the door that lead to the inside hall. Once his hand made contact with the metal door pull, he yanked it open with force enough to pull it from its hinges. Dashing inside the last bell sounded, a quick sharp noise that was enough to kill whatever hopes the boy had left in him.

"Oh shit." Edward Elric's voice was barely heard through the hall because he let it leave his lips as a muted whisper, words that were for his ears only.

Heaving a large sigh he found himself leaning against the row of maroon lockers for a second trying to catch his breath. He hadn't been caught just yet, but he knew that the school would now be crawling with aides and teachers ravaging the halls for their next victim. Dipping his hand into his outer coat pocket Ed retrieved the very crinkled looking piece of paper that he had been handed yesterday when he had been enrolled into the high school. _It's my first day and already I'm fucking things._ Withdrawing the schedule Ed unfolded the paper to see where he was supposed to be. It read:

CENTRAL CITY HIGH SCHOOL 09/27/--

NAME: EDWARD ELRIC / SEX: M / AGE: 16 / GRADE: 10 COURSE / TEACHER / ROOM # 

LEAD/EDU TRAINING III / HAWKEYE / 04-115

CHEMISTRY I HONORS / MOONER / 07-220

BIOLOGY I HONORS / BIZZNER / 07-204

ALGEBRA II HONORS / SMITY / 05-209

ALCHEMY II ADV PLA / CURTIS / 07-106

ENGLISH II HONORS / BITEME / 09-214

PHOTOGRAPHY I / PILLYA / 04-112

Ed felt his curiosity rise when he looked at the schedule, he hadn't ever signed up for some "lead/edu" training class. And even if he had he was sure that he was supposed to be in level three. He didn't know what the class was or even what it was doing on his schedule. With a sigh he rammed the paper back into his pocket and decided to start looking for room number 4-115.

His bag felt heavy now on his shoulder as he lifted his head, peeling himself away from the lockers advancing down the hall towards the door that led out into the open-air courtyard. The courtyard in question was fenced in on all four sides with different hallways and departments of the school. Keeping quiet in the halls was proving a problem; his steps were noisy and uneven because one of his legs was automail. This was slowing him down considerably as he tried to quietly creep along past the classes now in session. Despite the amount of noise he was making, the hall remained silent, and there was not a body in sight. _I'm getting lucky now._

Edward reached the door quicker than he had premeditated as he pulled open the metal handle. Metal clinked against metal as his right hand touched the door handle, giving Ed even more of a reason to slip soundlessly from the room. His long golden plaited braid hit his back as he whipped his head around throwing his back against the brick wall of the building peering through the small window of the large steel doors. No one. Heaving a large sigh, Ed was just beginning to relax when he heard a new noise. Looking to his left he realized that he had slipped into the small space beneath the staircase that led to the upper levels. But there was something else there too, two boys sneering and snickering to themselves as they sprayed something that looked like paint onto the wall. Smacking his head with his flesh hand Ed sighed irritably, _Kids these days are so stupid_. The two boys were destroying school property within clear view of few of the school's aides that were wondering around patrolling the courtyard looking for kids skipping class. The two guys looked much older than Ed, both were much taller too. One with particularly sharp features, black greased hair and biting blue eyes gave off a loud laugh as he finished a particularly crude design off on the wall.

"Shut up Archer they'll hear us!" Archer's companion whispered; he was a tall boy with fair features and blonde hair.

"Our work is done here anyway." Archer replied as he dropped the spray can with a loud clank to the concrete floor below. He than extended his hand and to pull his companion off with him, that was before he realized Ed's presence.

"Well, well, well what have we here?" A conquering smirk crossed Archer's face. In a split second Archer had dropped his companion's hand and was now gripping the front of Ed's shirt. Ed gagged and felt his hands come up instinctively towards the place near his neck that Archer had pinned him to the wall with. "Say a word about this to anyone and you're dead." His hot breath reeked as it crept across Ed's face. Golden eyes flashed in a superior manner, "You don't scare me! I--" Ed snapped, but before he could get out much more, he was swept from his feet and thrown into a pile with the evidence. "Consider yourself as good as dead Pipsqueak." He hit the ground, and immediately sprung back up on his elbows as the two boys disappeared running away from the evidence. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT!" Ed shouted after them, it was the first words that came to his mind.

Ed stood up, his reflexes were fast and he was back on his feet in no time, he begun to walk forward his eyes staring off in a defiant way towards the right, the way that Archer and his friend had run. He didn't get very far when he felt a hand hook itself over his arm.

"Kid you jus' got yourself in a whole pile o' trouble." The slow southern drawl happened to be cutting into Ed's ear as the teenager wheeled around to meet the eyes of his captor. The man had a monotonous voice and a large threatening pair of brown eyes beneath a carpet of graying hair to match. The ID badge that recognized him as a school aid hung loosely around his neck on a maroon lanyard, next to a loosely knotted emerald green tie. The smell of whiskey on the man's breath was enough to make Ed cringe when he met those threatening words face on.

"What!" Ed snapped, trying to figure out a way that wouldn't self-incriminate himself even more. He figured that there was already enough evidence at his feet to send him to ISS for the rest of the school year. "You seriously can't think that I did this! I don't even know how to spray paint. I CAN'T even DRAW!" Ed protested his voice was frantic as if searching for some anti-evidence that proved that he was innocent. "You didn't see those two kids, I can give you their names! They were just here!" His shouting became wilder as he tried to slip from the man's grasp. The hand tightened around his upper arm, the constricting action was enough to bruise.

"You s'pect me to believe tha'? I jus' caught yo' red handed. You might jus' well have been paintin' the damn wall when I came up. Come on, ISS for you." The aid tugged on Ed's arm leading him in the direction that he had come. His slow speech was starting to set Ed off even more.

"You can't be serious!" Ed yelled in the man's face pulling his arm, trying to reclaim it. _If he wants me to go with him he's going to have to chase me down first. _With one final tug, the man lost his grip on Ed's arm and fell forward as the short blonde shot off in the opposite direction. Ed ran as if he were running for his life, his steps were uneven and shaky as he felt the surge of adrenal begin to pump through his body. He followed the shadowy outside hall around the courtyard looking for a break in the structure that led out.


	2. Chapter 2: An Untimely Meeting

**A/N: Meh, so I was rereading chapter 1 to myself and I realized that the amount of grammar misusages/typos/syntax errors were so great that I can't believe that I posted it O.O … you see it was really late at night, and I was hyped up on Coke the drink and the prospect of my very first fanfict, so yeah, badness is my error. Just ignore the typos til I get a nice good Beta to slap me in the face XD**

**BETA _needed!_ Preferably one that likes EdxRoy pairings or reading later chapters will be _hell_ for you. Guaranteed xD; Check my profile for my contact info if you're interested in the job.**

… **Anyways this is chapter number two for your enjoyment.**

**WARNING: M/M && Slashyness if not now than later, if you don't like don't read xP**

**Dis-claim-er: It means that they have been dis-claimed by me. The 'dis' says it all … It means it's not mine people. If I owned them… -evil grin on face- the world would be a much better place in my mind.**

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**Chapter 2: An Untimely Meeting**

His red coattail was flapping in the wind, and the tight braid that fell to his mid back was whipping back and forth with the speed that he was going. Edward didn't know how much longer he could keep running. The small sprint from one side of the courtyard to the other had left him cramping up in the stomach already, not to mention the sore pain that was shooting through his shoulder. _Damn book bag! Why didn't I drop it? What the Hell am I supposed to do now! I'm going to have half the damn school looking for me just because of some freaking idiot that didn't have the sense to own up to what he did. I need to think quick. I obviously can't go to first period now, it's to late that would make people suspicious. I need to find some place to hide! Where though? _

Nearing the dead end that was where the wall of the courtyard ended and a new one bisecting it started, Ed realized that he had gotten lucky again. To his right lay an open corridor leading to two paths, the first was an apparent dent in the far right wall, a staircase, and the second a set of double doors accompanied by a plaque that read 'Bathrooms.' Choosing the more reasonable of the two, Ed quickly ran down the hall.

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'_This is Alf'ha One speakin', we've gotta Code 9, I repeat a Code 9. 'e goes by the name Edward Elric, grade 10, 16, 1st period 4-115.'_

The caterwaul of a slow drawling southern voice broke the silent frequency of the radio that all aids were required to carry. The radio was an ever-present item, a small black box strapped to the belt loop of every single aide that the school employed, its main function was as a supplemental tool when tracking down kids, specifically troublemakers. Now the radio was being put to use, to find the one that "got away." But the radio was only one tool in finding the teenager gone astray, the more effective method of hunting down and tracking their prey was by knowing the terrain, which was something that a school aid did very well.

_'This is Bravo Four I copy that Alpha One. We need to pull an 180/0, ASAP. I'll cover the upper 4's, Alpha One you try to track down the target.'_

The voice was rough, and virtually accent-less, the codes were sure, as if pulled from memory. Coding was used quite frequently at Central High, namely by the school aides over the radio. The static-screech of the radio echoed off the silent stone hallways as the footsteps of a solitary body could be heard walking down the hall.

Nearby in a small hallow, a sort of burrow-like cave beneath the staircase that lead upstairs to the top of the four thousand hall that ran the parameter of the courtyard, stood Edward Elric. The teenager was peering around the edge of his stone hide-away into the open air corridor, watching intently as the school aide shuffled by without a care in the world. The hum and buzz of the radio hanging off of that particular school aide was enough to make Ed nervous. He had heard the length of the broadcast, able to piece together bits of what each person had been saying and now he knew the one thing that meant that he was already knee deep – they knew his name.

Oh shit, shit, shit! How do they know my name? How the HELL do they know my name? I'm going to be in for it now. Ed barely stood a moment longer to consider the consequences, he worked on his first instinct – which was screaming for him to run. Later on he would realize how stupid that instinct had been, because right at that moment he managed to run head first into the very man that had the ability to seal his fate.

Edward Elric was only dully aware of the pain shooting through his head when he felt himself collide headfirst with another figure that had happened to be standing right there somehow. A blur flashed before his yellow eyes, as he worked himself into a tangle of limbs and black hair that wasn't his own. The world went black than, dark as night without even the promise of daylight showing through. After a few feeble attempts to get his balance and steady him self, he allowed himself to fall to the floor, landing on the man that he had run into. At that moment all Hell broke lose. The chaotic yell and screech of the radio attached to the aid drew nearer and echoed nearly from all five sides. Voices could be heard, but Ed could make little to no sense of it all.

_'COME QUICK WE HAVE A CODE 1, I REPEAT CODE 1, CODE 1! DON'T BE AFARID TO ACT IN SELF DEFENSE IT LOOKS LIKE A CODE 1/BLADE!'_

The patter of footsteps and the yelling just seemed to get worse now as Ed tried to pull himself from the tangle of limbs. The figure next to him emitted a slow muffled, "Oof." It was almost as if he was faking the pain, like he wasn't really feeling it.

_'NO, Bradley is DOWN, I repeat he IS DOWN. It looks like the kid has a knife! He is concealing something metal in his arm. He was trying to MURDER Panther6.'_

A hand curled around Ed's flesh shoulder, the nails biting into his flesh, the voice was sharp and demanding and the clear metallic click that sounded near his ear meant business.

"Put yore hand 'sup kid. Now."

Ed didn't wait to be told a second time he complied, and the blackness of the world slide slowly off of his face in the form of a plaid suit jacket. Once the hindering piece of cloth had been removed the scene before his own yellow orbs was enough to make Ed sick. There looked to be every single aide that the school employed standing around him, most of them rearing and ready for action. Hands straight and parallel to each other above his head, Ed chanced a glance downwards, he was sitting on the chest of a man with a wisp of black hair falling over the square plane of a tanned face broken only by a black eye patch. A straight black mustache covered a gently grinning mouth. Oops.

"Now, Sam I don't think the boy meant any harm in this. He looks about as scared as you do behind that gun." The voice was thick, but it was quick, calculated and educated, Principle Bradley was no fool. With these words Sam's hand slide slowly off Ed's shoulder and Ed found himself mentally sighing relief.

It was as if somebody had shred the thick coat of tension with a knife, immediately the aides pulled back, their expressions lightened and Bradley was now putting a hand on Ed's shoulder although he was still in his supine position. The hand slowly eased the blonde haired teenager off of his chest as he slide into a sitting position on the ground. The thin striped brown and white plaid shirt topped off with a plain dark brown tie seemed not to do justice for his sophisticated tones.

Sam was now replacing his gun in his holster, as Bradley turned to address the wide-eyed teenager. "No harm done, right son? Your intentions weren't to hurt me were they? These fine young gentlemen here seem to think that your misconception of distance was supposedly a ploy set against letting me live." Bradley's voice was level and gentle, as if he were addressing a particularly sensitive child. Ed had to hold in the question that he was now burning to ask, it was one concerning the whereabouts of the fine young gentlemen that Bradley referred to that happened to be bothering him.

"'Speak truthful'ly 'cause if you don't yore in' fore it." The slow southern drawl seemed to make these words even more painful.

Ed tried to not let the offended look surface on his features he realized that he was treading on soft ground here, and he had just barely slipped through the cracks of serving a 20 year jail stint for a crime that he wasn't even going to commit. "No." Ed said in a low steady growl, he couldn't hide the annoyance that was sprouting from the situation. The aide that had recently replaced his firearm shot Ed a look that was daring him to go any further. Meanwhile, Bradley was getting to his feet finding his bearings, his movements slow and deliberate as if something was hurting him. Ed almost felt sorry for the man that he had run into, but than his views immediately changed.

"Mr. Norcutt I think that's enough." Bradley commented with a dismissing wave of his hand directed at the aide. Ed saw a glimmer of hope hidden behind Bradley's hand motion, maybe he would walk free and get to go to lead/edu training after all, whatever that was. Whatever lead/edu training encompassed, Ed figured that it had to be a hell of a lot better than just standing around a hallway swarming with school aides just itching to get him into a bucket-load of trouble.

"We'er jus' takin' him off to ISS, Mr. Bradley, he painted 'up that there wall o'ver there pretty badly." Norcutt replied defensively, it seemed to be his protection against the pride cutting comment that Bradley had made.

"I didn't do that! I told you before it wasn't me! I know what the guy looks like! Come on get me a line up anything, something, and I'll show you!" Ed's voice was exasperated; agitation was welling up in his gut and now pouring forth in his speech. He couldn't take much more of this false conviction stuff, because it was really wearing him thin.

"I caught you red-handed kid." Norcutt's voice was now deliberately slow; he was pronouncing his words with the intentions of a scholar talking to a mentally challenged kid. It was about the last straw for Ed, he couldn't take much more of this.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING YOUNG ENOUGH TO BE SO STUPID AS TO GET CAUGHT IN A PILE OF SPRAY PAINT CANS IN FRONT OF A FRESHLY PAINTED TAG!" Ed shouted at the man.

To suppress the teenager's supposed revolt a few aides jumped forward and restrained the short-tempered blonde, grabbing at his hands and pinning them at his sides. Ed unconscientiously struggled at the restricting bonds of human arms holding him back. "You're a liar." Ed found that his own tone was seeping with a sort of full-hearted conviction that he didn't think it could possibly ever hold. "Let go of me!" Ed snapped over his shoulder he wanted so badly to get at Norcutt and rip the man in half that he was practically pulling the aids with him as he tried to scoot over towards the man.

"ISS for you." Norcutt repeated, his voice was an amused one, it's taunting tones only seemed to get Ed more hyped. "'Less you'd rather save the small talk and b' 'xpelled righ' now?"

Cringing a little at the weight of Norcutt's words Ed realized the inevitable he was bound for the white-walled cramped room deemed 'ISS' by the schools staff and the 'stockade' by the students. I was to damn close. The expression on Ed's face fell considerably as he felt the same tight hand wrap around his arm it was a nonverbal threat. I'm planning to give you hell. You just don't know it yet. Norcutt motioned another two aides over with the use of his free hand, "Gamble an' Virgo, I nee' back 'p for this'en." A sick sort of smirk twisted across his face, where the unshaven metallic brown stubble was quiet clear in the morning sun. The aids that had been restraining Ed had now stepped back because they hadn't been chosen for the tedious task of getting Ed from point A to point B.

"Is that so, ISS?" Bradley's voice broke into the conversation. It sounded like he was going to say something more but his dialogue was cut short by Norcutt's voice, "Bes' let us deal with 'im, Principle." Flashing what Norcutt must have seen as a charming grin he turned back to his own preparations for transporting his new victim into the fathomless white depths of the ISS room. Principle? This school is so fucked up, what are they doing just letting the guy walk around like that? Anybody could walk right in here and shot him. Not that I would want to.

The fingers tightened as the two other aids had now caught on and were standing by Norcutt's side as he tugged Ed away from the cluster of onlookers. "Com' on boy, let's git you outta 'ere." The drawl seemed superior now, he was talking down to Ed and everyone knew it.

Ed didn't know why but he loosened up his body and allowed himself to be towed away from the staring crowd of off-duty faculty, aides, and the Principle himself. The violent hate for their staring eyes suddenly scorched Ed's conscience as he shot them a backward glance like a condemned prisoner taking one last look at the world. Norcutt's fingers only proved to tighten their grip, as they got further away from the crowd. One of the other aids had now grabbed his other arm, and before Ed knew it he was being dragged off through the shaded overpass of the outside hall lacing the sides of the courtyard. Ed felt sick as they walked to a destination that he didn't know the location of.

"It's a shame that there is so much trouble youth these days." Bradley observed as he watched Norcutt and the two aides pull Ed off in the other direction. "It's something that you can change Sir." A young aide standing nearby commented. "Possibly so." The Principle said his tone remained a tainted yet optimistic one.

As soon as they passed earshot of the crowd Ed begun the struggle that he had sworn he would, it started first with the wiggling of his upper body but before long it had developed into a full out fight for control. "Let go of me! I swear to you I didn't do it!" Ed squirmed and fought, throwing his body left and right allowing the aids on either side to hold the full weight of his body. The grip on his arms didn't gain any slack; it only tightened as his uncontrollable squirming became more intense. "PUT ME DOWN!" His voice was now breaking the silence of the dark outside corridor, which was leading forever onward in one straight shadowy line. Suddenly a pair of hands shot towards Ed's collar, gripping him hard slamming him against the wall in one quick fluid motion. A surprised yelp escaped the short teenager's lips as he felt his frame slammed against the cold decaying brick wall.

"What was that for!" Ed growled through bared teeth.

"Make 'nother sound 'nd I swear to God Ol' Mighty I'll make sure tha' ya'll n'ver speak again." Norcutt's tone was smooth, a fragile silk being rubbed against sandpaper, it ensured that he would crack soon if Ed kept pushing.

"Bastard." The word was spat in Norcutt's direction, which was one of the main reasons why Ed was dropped so nonchalantly to the floor.

"Get up!" One of the waiting aides now administered a well placed kick to Ed's side as two sets of arms went down to retrieve the crumpled heap that was Edward Elric.

"Like Hell I will!" Ed protested he sat crossing his arms on the ground, trying to pull himself to a sitting position. Had he taken into account his height than Ed would have been able to deduce that whether or not he had the intentions of following Norcutt and his crew he was going to end up doing it anyway. The two other aides, one short shout and balding, the other big husky and weathered-looking, proceeded to attack Ed after he had muttered those words. Norcutt stood back, a sly wicked smirk plastered across the unshaven face, he seemed to be enjoying himself. Claw-like fingers cut into the sensitive flesh of his upper arm on one side, which was only protected by a few thin layers of cloth. Ed struggled to stay down as he was dragged upwards against his will by the two sets of hands. He was soon being dragged down the hallway without his consent, his boots dragging behind him every so often unless he had attempted to pick his feet up. The dragging seized as the door to a long indoor air-conditioned locker-framed hallway was opened up, than continued as Ed felt himself pulled inside. The moment that he had been dragged over the threshold Ed was positive that he had entered Hell on Earth, despite the fact that he was an atheist. There were three visible doors on the left side of the hall and four more on the right side, it was clear that they were headed for the left side of the hall because the aides seemed to be walking more in that direction. Ed found himself struggling more, trying to work his way out of the talon-like hands. His attempts proved futile as the small formation of school aids and victim neared the middle maroon-colored door on the left side of the hallway.

The white-dirt-darkened tile shone in the florescent lightening, providing a stark contrast to the maroon lockers that glittered dimly on the walls that surrounded the door. The door was death itself, and the threshold was like passing over into the grave. The silence in the hallway was similar to that observed at the execution of a well-known criminal, it cut deep trying to make some kind of imaginary impact on all that would listen. This same silence seemed to filter into the room where the muffled gasp of asthma or even the wheezing cough of an allergy-stricken student was appreciated. Any noise was embraced as long as it provided some solace from the mocking silence. That was the way it was on that particular day in the month of September that when Ed was dragged into the ISS room against his will.

"LETGO! I'm innocent, I swear! I didn't do it, what part don't you understand?" He shouted and twisted in the grip of the aids again, wanting to break the deafening silence. His shouting drove Norcutt to lose it as they crossed the barrier of the door that led into the ISS room. It was that very small silver line of the doorway that cut the ISS room off from the rest of the school, from the rest of the world in fact.

A myriad amount of eyes flew to the doorway at that moment; the distraction seemed to be a very welcome one among the sparse number of students occupying desks in the room. The teacher, a tall skinny balding man in his late forties donning a pair of aviators, frowned at the racket that followed the party of people through the door. He sat behind the only other piece of real furniture in the room, aside from the student desks, a large brown mahogany desk scratched and battered from age. The room was a windowless pure white, and aside from the desk, the teacher's chair and the small trashcan that was located adjacent to both, there was really nothing to look at it. All attention had now been turned to the fighting blonde teenager, trying to break the two school aides and their hold on him.

Pivoting in front of the aides that carried Ed, he spoke very sharply again, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I've warned you on s'veral occasions Elric, ye' you still keepin' at it. One las' chance, 'nd it's not g'ven by me but by this teacher right 'ere. I 'ear one word from him and consider yourself as good as dead."

Ed let himself go limp in the grip of the two aides as he rolled his eyes at Norcutt and kept his mouth shut. The only thing that he was fighting now was curiosity; he just wanted to know exactly how and why Norcutt knew his name.

"Good." The word was a hiss emitted from two tightly pursed lips as Norcutt executed an about face towards the teacher who seemed to have been immersed in quiet conversation before the interruption. There was one other figure up in the front of the room, a raven-haired boy of average height with a lanky frame and an arrogant grin to match his attitude. Obsidian colored eyes glittered zealously in the direction of the struggling blonde as if only to taunt Ed in his very vulnerable position.

"What are you staring at! Haven't you ever seen someone held captive against their will before?" Ed snapped at the guy.

"Well now that you mention it … there was this video that we watched the other day in psych about Vietnamese midgets during communist rule." The boy's voice was drawn out in a pensive manner to make his snide comment stick.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT AS TO BE MISTAKEN FOR A VIETNAMESE MIDGET!" Ed yelled, he was already starting to hate this arrogant bastard and he didn't even know the kid. Ed's comment only got him a tug from the aides standing on either side. The sharp tug sent him flying backwards, which almost broke his balance, but he was able to recover the last minute placing a foot out to break his fall.

"Enough from you Mr. Mustang." The teacher behind the desk was monotonous sounding almost like he had been a programmed machine. The raven-haired boy only nodded in the direction of the teacher, it was a curt nod, one meant to encourage he had gotten the message.

"I'm leavin' this boy in yore charge Mr. Smith, I trus' that ya'll keep an eye on him?" Norcutt cut into the conversation clearly desiring to leave, he shot a backwards glance at the two aides retaining Ed. The aides immediately loosened their grip on the overly fuming teenager before completely letting him go.

"Of course Sam." Smith gave an automatic nod and a dismissing wave of his hand, as if seeing off some sort of distant relative on a cruise ship.

"C'mon boys." Norcutt replied turning to leave and than stopping in his tracks just remembering something. Fishing his hand into his pocket he produced a very crumpled sheet of paper and held it out to Ed. Ed found himself taking the paper out of sheer curiosity his fingers snapping it out of Norcutt's firm grip. Shooting the man a backwards glare of death, Ed found himself standing in the middle of the insanely white room scuffed with the blackness of age. The snap of the door announced the departure of Norcutt and his cronies and Ed felt himself heave a sigh. Turning his attention to the paper in hand, Ed unfolded it quickly revealing the slinking black typed words of his schedule. "Goddamn bastard." Was all the blonde teenager was able to mumble underneath his breath; he figured that he must have dropped the thing when he was running through the hall.

The mechanical human, also known as Mr. Smith shifted behind the desk, leaning forward in his chair to snatch Ed's attention away from the ruins of his schedule. "Mr. Elric I presume?" He asked the expression on his face was clear that he already knew the answer to his question, but he asked it nevertheless.

Ed nodded weakly, trying to take in the white dingy room for the first time; he realized that he was in here with only a few other students. Mr. Smith was the only teacher in the room amazingly enough.

"Welcome to ISS Mr. Elric."


	3. Chapter 3: Three Simple Rules

**AU: FINALLY! Chapter 3 is here, I deserve kudos! Sorry about the long wait, college applications are Hell, and I couldn't let my fict go with only a few pages per chapter... it has got to be perfect xD;; But anyways...things will start to get interesting soon, just as soon as I find time to start Chapter 4. Darn High School, darn APs, darn college apps. Please R&R for me cause I need feedback!**

_Beta needed still. Check teh profile for teh info xP_

**Dis-Claim-Er: I have dis-in-claimed all the following - Any and all characters associated with Fullmetal Alchemist, I do not own, will never own, and just like to whore on a regular basis :**

**WARNING: This story does contain m/m or yaoi, if you don't like, than don't read damnit!**

_Please don't flame. Thankyouhaveaniceday._

**

* * *

****Chapter 3: Three Simple Rules**

Mr. Smith, the infamous guardian of the realm known as ISS at Central City High School, was now boring his unseen eyes into Edward Elric's very being. It was almost as if the teacher expected to suck Ed's soul through the thick protective coating of his skin. The rigid frames of the aviators and the thick dark lenses effectively shielded the blond teenager from any such visual attack. Ed shot the teacher an annoyed look, one that seemed to signify that he couldn't put up with this 'bullshit' for much longer. The tall raven-haired boy – who went by Mustang – stood forgotten leaning in a lazy manner against the side of Smith's desk. The teacher barely spared Mustang a second glance as he focused his attention on the fresh meat; his newest victim seemed to be several heads shorter than everyone in the room.

Crossing right automail arm over left flesh arm, Ed set Smith with a defying gaze. _This guy is creepier than Norcutt. Why is this school so fucked up? It looks like he's trying to snatch my goddamned soul right outta my mouth or something. What's that bastard still doing up here?_ Ed's intimidated gaze fell on the solitary figure of Mustang, who was displaying a smirk for the special occasion. "Bastard…" Ed mumbled, his voice was barely loud enough to be heard. "Excuse me?" Mr. Smith's voice drowned out any more thoughts Ed was having of possibly transmuting Mustang into something that wasn't capable of sneering, discernable speech, or making noise. Mustang's mouth had rearranged itself for a moment into a sneer of victory at his further success at getting Ed into trouble; it was the last thing Ed saw before he reacted to Mr. Smith's voice. _Fucking bastard, I think I'm in enough trouble right now. _Ed knew very little about the tall raven-haired boy standing in front of Mr. Smith's desk, but already he knew that he hated him. Snapping his head around sharply, allowing his gaze to wander from Mustang to Mr. Smith, Ed just simply said, "Sorry, what was that?" Playing dumb was better than playing innocent any day; he was beginning to figure out the workings of the system, getting caught once was enough to do that for him.

"I would like to familiarize you with the _rules_, Mr. Elric. Contrary to…" Mr. Smith cleared his throat loudly; the disgusting sound of phlegm on its way down his throat filled the room. "… All the statistics or rumors that you have observed, Mr. Elric, ISS isn't a place to have fun." Mr. Smith set Ed with a patronizing stare while golden orbs circled around searching through dark colored glass for movement. "I nev— " Ed begun but than he was cut short by the monotonous dragging of yet another lecture. "Three simple rules are all you must follow. Three rules, nothing more." The thick greasy brown hair shone in the fluorescent lighting as the man appeared to be searching for any effect that his words were intended to have on Ed, his tongue flicking back and forth like some kind of washing cycle, tossing something around in his mouth in attempts to get it clean.

"I--" Ed found his voice again but wasn't able to utter much more than a single syllable for Smith started up again. To drown out the suppressed snickering of Mustang nearby, Ed was highly tempted to throw his hands over his ears but he resisted. "Number one: Absolutely no talking. Number two: Absolutely no sleeping. Number three: Absolutely no having fun." The mechanical voice now held a note of finality as it formed the last syllables of fun in one long hiss. Ed shot the teacher a glance as he took a few steps backwards failing his arms in a gesture upwards directed towards Smith before replying, "I absolutely gotcha, I guess that means I'll have to be going now, because right now I'm having way to much fun to be in here!" Mr. Smith just stared blankly at Ed from behind the dark lenses, if the sunglasses would have exposed the almost white-blue pupils that belonged to Mr. Smith, than Ed would have been able to see the reflection of fire in the man's eyes. Ed could feel the uneasiness mounting in his stomach despite the fact that he couldn't see Smith's eyes, he was pretty sure that he had just made a very big mistake. _Maybe that wasn't the best idea, this might some kind of ongoing freak show but these people aren't really that stupid_. "_Take a seat Mr. Elric_." The sentence was sharp; the voice was one long hiss as heavy lenses guided a head that tilted over towards the nearest desk that was opposite to Smith's own in the very first row. _Damn it._ Ed found himself laughing a little nervously shouldering his bag as he sunk into the seat that Smith had directed his gaze towards.

Lowering his bag onto the floor, Ed realized how damned uncomfortable the seat was, made from some sort of heavy-duty plastic and wood. _Over a 6 million dollar school budget yearly and this piece of shit is all that they can come up with? I want some cushion on this damn chair for that kind of money!_ Casting a wary glance towards Mr. Smith to show that he had complied, Ed stretched his arms out in front of him as he eyed Smith's black leather cushioned chair for a few moments. _Let's just go and spend 6 million dollars worth of tax payers money to hire weirdoes that like to torment little boys, wear dark heavily sunglasses, sit on leather cushioned chairs, and live under some kind of delusion that no one will be having fun in ISS. It's probably a hell of a lot better than going to class!_

A muffled snicker was heard now that all was quiet in the room, Ed's eyes shot towards what he knew to be the source – Mustang. _Damn him, I'll show him. But how?_ Ed silently vowed revenge on Mustang as he dropped his head onto his desk, blond bangs splaying across the false wooden surface that sounded somewhere between plastic and wood.

_Uh-hem. Hem._

Mr. Smith cleared his throat loudly; Ed rolled his eyes as he curled himself up on the chair trying not to even spare the man sitting across from him a second look. "As I was saying, Sir, before we were so rudely interrupted, I have an AP chem. Lab that must be completed after school today. It's a two-hour lab and I would much—" Mustang had begun talking but he was cut short by Mr. Smith, who was now focusing all of his attention on Ed. "I have work for you Elric. Come up here and get it." It was an order not a statement or an offer, it was a command that was meant to be obeyed and not questioned.

"Sorry, I missed that?" Ed asked cocking his head innocently to the side, yes playing dumb was the best alternative especially when it came to intimidation.

"Make-up work Mr. Elric, for your current absences in all seven of your classes. We don't just sit around here in ISS we do _work_." Smith put emphasis on the last word, giving Ed a strange look through mirrored lenses that couldn't quite be read or seen. "Work?" Ed questioned, the side of his mouth twitched. It was only his first day of school and already he was doing make-up work. "Physical or mental labor performed for the purpose of emolument or completion of a class." The nasty sneer that had curled up the corners of Smith's lips was nothing that Ed found himself liking. He could imagine the stare behind the impenetrable opaque lenses undressing him in Smith's own mind.

_SLAP._

Ed jumped in his seat for the loud snap of something hitting a wooden surface was barely four feet from him. Golden eyes met a large manila folder around a half a ruler thick. Staring wide eyed and in shock he hoped that the whole folder didn't exactly bare his name. "Come get this Elric, it is inhibiting my visual view of all the other pupils." Smith's demanding voice was heard through the haze of Ed's mind. Ed sat there gaping, frozen and stuck to his seat like freshly dried glue had just been coated over the hard wooden-plastic seat. "Th-that's _all_ for me?" Ed stammered as he stared at the stack, he only had six more hours in ISS to go and the stack looked like it was about two month's worth of work for all his classes.

Smith nodded a satisfactory smile twisted across those rigid thin lips as he directed black glossy lenses in Ed's direction. Thin stiff fingers peeled off a yellow post-it note stuck to the front of the folder, "Your teacher left you a note too." Mr. Smith's tone sounded amused at the least, hell it looked like he was having fun. Ed wondered briefly if he should remind Smith of the rules of ISS, but than decided against it because the man would sure find ways to make the next six hours of his own life Hell if he did. Mustang was nearly turning red with suppressed laughter beside Smith's desk. He seemed to find the issue of the folder funny, and Ed wondered vaguely if Mustang knew anything about it.

" '_How dare you skip my class and land yourself in ISS your first day of school! I will see to it that you are caught up within the week. In addition to your make-up work I have enclosed a few sheets and packets from prior weeks that you have missed. I expect you to be in class tomorrow to face the consequences for your actions today because I do not take school offenses lightly_.' Signed Professor Curtis." Ed blanched considerably as Smith read the note out loud. A loud snore resounded from the back of the room but Smith didn't seem to notice as he gave a loud cruel staccato burst of laughter on Ed's account. Mustang beside him didn't seem any better; he was nearly pulled to pieces as he gasped for air while trying to suppress his laughter. The raven-haired boy's fingers curled around the desk edge as he finally caught his breath and stopped laughing. A smirk settled on his face and Ed had begun to think that that was the only expression that the boy was capable of. "Very funny." Ed's sarcasm seeped from his words as he threw himself out of his seat and walked over to Smith's desk snatching the large folder off the desk. It took him two hands to achieve the action, but it was a sure and swift one. He held the folder tightly to his chest as he walked back to his seat turning on his heel and trying not to show how pissed off he really felt.

_I get thrown in this fucking shit hole with the human machine and some retard that thinks he's everything. What a fucking day. This thing must be at least a foot thick. This teacher is psycho. I hope she doesn't really mean all that. But than what's the worst that she could do to me? _Ed knew little to nothing about the teachers that he had received, he hadn't even been able to sit through any of their classes because it was the first day that he was in school and he had landed himself in ISS already. His fingers clawed at the folder until he finally got a grip on it, flipping the large packet of Xeroxed sheets open. Ed's jaw nearly fell off the hinges as he realized that the whole thing was just a series of alchemy worksheets. He started to flip through the folder and reaffirmed his suspicions. Alchemy had been his best subject the last time he had been in school, but he hadn't expected himself to get so lucky. He had excelled in the subject, getting higher grades than average without even having to spend the time to study. _This is going to be easy. _Finally Ed found himself having a single streak of luck in what was turning out to be an entirely bad day.

Once the Smith's laughter had subsided, Ed found himself digging through his bag for a pencil underneath the watchful unseen eyes of Smith. "Sir, I came up here because I needed to ask a favor from you." Mustang's spoke up as Ed located what he had been looking for. He emitted a low growl at the nerve of that prick actually being able to stand up in front of the whole of ISS and ask the very strict teacher a favor. Mustang suddenly seemed like the cocky type that would have that sort of abundant confidence in front of most anyone. Snatching the first sheet of paper from the large manila folder, Ed set to work writing down the primary equations for the alchemic reactions of simple metals.

"What is it that I can do for you, Mr. Mustang?" Smith raised an eyebrow behind the dark lenses. Mustang seemed to hesitate a moment as if trying to figure out how to word his request, or how to not word it. "I have an AP chem. Lab that I have to attend this afternoon, so I was wondering if it was possible if I could get out of here an hour early during the beginning of 7th hour to get a chance to complete it." Smith was silent as if he were reasoning something out in his mind as he sat there upright in his chair. "Remind me again Mustang what kind of grades did you make in my class?" A slow sure expression slide across Smith's face that this would be the deciding factor as to whether or not Mustang was able to get out of ISS or not. "I made straight A's, and I got a four on your exam." Mustang's own voice held a tone that was reassuring, although by the offended expression on his face it was clear that Mustang didn't take kindly to being asked such a question. Maybe he had been offended because Smith hadn't remembered his particularly good grades. "Very well… Mr. Mustang I will give you permission to leave early, and I will pass the word onto Mr. Pyndanisky when he arrives to relive me before fourth hour because I have a class to attend to." Smith nodded his head slowly as if everything was going to work out.

Ed's eyes went wide and his grip tightened around the stubby pencil that he was currently using to write out formulas. The tip was nearly about to break off because he was pressing so hard, he wasn't happy that Mustang was getting the opportunity to leave early and he wasn't. _What the Hell is wrong with this guy? I guess that those rules were a bunch of bullshit. He probably didn't mean it at all. Maybe I should be having fun after all. I wonder if he'll let me leave._ Ed was now thinking back to the one AP class that had been meticulously placed on his schedule. Than again maybe he could've gotten out from the beginning, there was that stupid lead/edu class, maybe that was important in some way?

_DING. DING. DING._

The staccato bursts of the high-pitched ding of the bell broke the utter silence that had coated the white walled room. Ed nearly jumped out of his seat, his hand dislodged itself from the paper, and his fingers felt loosely around his pencil. A few dozen loose sheets of paper from the manila folder were sent flying across the room. "Damn it." Ed cursed underneath his breath as he allowed his golden eyes to shot up towards Mr. Smith. "Well what are you waiting for? Go retrieve those papers!" Smith snapped from behind his large mahogany desk in his comfy cushioned chair. _Easy for him to say. _The floor was nearly covered by the sheets, covering everything from basic alchemy to the bordering extremes. Ed managed a weak laugh as he pulled himself up from his chair, his body suddenly felt very heavy. He dragged his feet across the white graying floor, past one snickering Mustang. But Ed hadn't gotten far when his heavy booted foot caught something solid around the ankle and he fell face first into the lacerated white linoleum that was the floor. And than the world was consumed in some sort of fathomless darkness and everything went black for the second time that day.

* * *

The nurse's office at Central City High School wasn't necessary a bad place to go, but it wasn't the best of places either. Like a revolving door in some busy New York City shopping plaza, the small office was always overflowing with unlucky injured students. Although they could be considered the lucky ones because if the injury was bad enough it gave the person in question a "get out of school free for one day" pass.

The office was located in the smallest sector of the school that happened to be the administration office. Directly down the hall from the student services desk was the small inconspicuous office, draped in a sterile white with walls adorned with stainless steal metal objects. The room reeked of antiseptic, and that was just about the only hospital-like thing about the room. Overall it held the appearance of any normal High School office, aside from the fact that it was just a little bit bigger and accommodated two desks instead of one. Than there was the tiny factor of the three rooms that branched off from the main one. Two were exam rooms, one for females and one for males, and than third was merely a medical supply room brimming with all sorts of useless things that were required by law for the school to obtain and shelter on dusty shelves.

Ed's injury just fell short of the "get out of school free for one day" pass, at least that's what the nurses had proclaimed upon first seeing the monstrous black and blue bump that graced the side of the teen's forehead. So that was the conclusion that the nurses had come to after poking and probing the bump for a complete ten minutes. They than begun to check Ed's vital signs when it became clear that the young teen was unconscious, paying little to no heed to the figure lingering behind them in a sort of patient manner.

_Darkness. Ed couldn't see a thing, he felt almost as if he were floating, and he saw something shining very bright and very distant. Where the hell am I?_

"Clara I think it's best if we use the ammonia, I doubt that he will be coming around any time soon. Besides we need to see if he has been affected at all mentally by the blow." An attractive older red headed nurse turned in an enquiring manner towards her blonde companion.

"Too late.." The figure behind the two nurses muttered in an amused manner. Roy Mustang had been forced to drag Edward Elric all the way down to the nurse's office for his own "get out of ISS free" pass this afternoon. Smith liked to play dirty sometimes, and this was one of those instances, instead of calling the aides to escort the "prisoner" down to the nurse's office he was set down in place of them. Smith had probably had a pretty good idea that Roy wasn't going to abandon him and skip out on the rest of ISS. He wasn't that irresponsible, but dragging Edward all the way to the other side of the school had been pure torture. Ed seemed to weigh at least half a ton, it made Roy wonder if the boy had stapled a few sheets of steel to his skin because of all the dead weight that he had been dragging through the deserted halls.

The nurses hadn't appeared to hear him for they kept on talking in muted voices to one another as if Ed was actually awake and could hear them. After some more muted conversation one of the nurses turned around, and directed her hand in a sort flailing gesture towards Roy. "Be a dear Roy and go into the first drawer in my desk and go find the small container of ammonia. It's the desk nearest the door." She asked politely, as if she were familiar with the raven-haired ivory skinned boy. He did know her, he had been to the nurse's office more than once, but he had never been the victim just the escort. Nodding soundlessly Roy turned on his heel to go and retrieve the bottle that the nurse requested him to get.

An unconscious Edward Elric shifted on the stiff metal exam table moaning lightly, he was fighting to open his eyes. He was vaguely away of the distant voices and he felt like he could see the light through heavily lidded eyes. He knew that it was time to open them, but his eyelids felt as if they weighed a ton.

_The light grew closer but than it seemed to fade away. The black dots that had quickly eaten up his line of view were disintegrating as reality begun to show through in the form of a light riddled white room._

"Here it is." Roy placed the small container in the nurse's outstretched hand as leaned back against the doorframe to watch the scene. He yawned a little partially from boredom, and just from being plain tired.

Taking the bottle from Roy, the red headed nurse leaned forward and broke the small vial in half; the sound of a crackling snap was heard through the room. The liquid inside seeped towards the front half of the small vial as she shoved it underneath Ed's nose. The reaction was immediate and not delayed – the blonde alchemist shot up and missed hitting his head again against the nurse's by barely a hair. Wide golden eyes took in his surroundings and immediately he looked confused. "W-where am I?" Ed's rapid fire questioning begun from there and didn't stop. He wanted to know how he had gotten where he was, and who the women were stooping over him, but most of all – "What is he doing here?" Ed growled pointing a finger in Mustang's direction. "Roy is the one that brought you here, you should be grateful to him. If he hadn't found you out there in the hallway than you would probably still be sitting there passed out. I really think that the school needs to get rid of those poles in the middle of those doorframes. They cause such a nuisance." The red headed nurse answered, her voice was stern as if upbraiding Ed for something bad that he had done although the situation had been and still was entirely out of his hands. "He's probably the one that dragged me out into the hallway." Ed mumbled accusingly as he felt the room begin to spin.

A pair of hands forced Ed down again back against the pillow on the exam table. "You need some rest, you should be laying down. How does your head feel?" The blond-haired nurse by the name of Clara questioned Ed. To weak to resist such a tempting offer, Ed allowed himself to be pushed down against the uncomfortable exam table. The metal was cool against the exposed flesh of his left arm … _wait a minute!_ "Where's my coat?" Ed realized for the first time that his red jacket had been taken from his shoulders. A few seconds later realized to his relief that he was still wearing the white long sleeved shirt and none other than himself had pulled up the sleeve on his left arm earlier. A sigh of relief formed inside his lungs, it was one that he wouldn't release, not in front of Mustang. He didn't want anyone to know about his arm. It wasn't something for their eyes. It was his own secret and no one was worthy of knowing the story why and how he had received it.

Ed was now able to rest comfortably, yet still begrudgingly against the metal table as his golden eyes suspiciously watched Mustang out of the corner of his eye. "It's alright, it's over there on that chair, we figured that you would be hot when you woke up." One of the nurses reassured Ed as he stared into the white foamy Swiss cheese shaped nothingness that was the ceiling. Nodding slowly, Ed realized for the first time since he woke up that he had a pounding headache and that there was something rather wet and soggy over his right temple. Instinctively slapping his left hand over his right temple, Ed winced in pain when he realized that there was a frozen ice pack covering a fairly large bruise of some sort. So that was the reason why he had passed out. It all came crashing back to him as he remembered the contact with something hard and unmoving - _Mustang's foot. That bastard. _Ed knew that he really had to get him now, even if it was the last thing he did. But right now, he couldn't see straight very well, and it might have been better just to…

"Edward, the Principal asked us to have you report to his office after you woke up. I still want you to rest for a little while before you go over there, it's a long walk. Just so that this won't happen again, I insist that you take Roy with you." The nurse named Clara seemed to make her point firm and unmoving, it was clear that her words were the law around here. Ed's eyes snapped open; he had been enjoying the thought of being in a room completely and utterly alone without a boy named Roy Mustang and without the embarrassing huge bump on the side of his head. Apparently life without trouble didn't last too long even in his fantasies.

_The Principal, what the Hell does he want? It seems like I can't pass out in peace around here either. I already tried to "kill" him once today, shouldn't they be sending a bodyguard or something like that along with me? I guess he wants the chance to defend himself now and lecture me on how it's so wrong to try and kill school officials. As if I'm going to listen to that load of bullshit. Who cares? He's making enough money a month to survive the occasional shocking murder attempt that actually happens to be against his own life._

"I'll go now." Ed said bluntly, trying to sit up, but the same hands forced him back down. "Edward Elric, I will pin you to that bed so help me God if you don't lay there until we get back." Nurse Clara instructed him as she put a firm weighing hand on his right shoulder. He didn't feel the action but he saw it well enough and knew better than to just ignore it and keep pushing. He wanted to keep his secret and that was something that he planned on doing. Fighting the urge to jump up and run out of the small exam room, Ed laid back against the cold steel table. "That's better now wait here while we go and take care of some paperwork." Clara instructed as the two nurses exited the room. Ed stared at their retreating backs as he felt a sense of almost helplessness; they were leaving him in the room _with Mustang_. "I trust that Roy will watch you, I'm just going to lean this door on." The red headed nurse beamed as she left the door cracked open in her wake, as she was the last to leave the room.

"Of course." Roy gave her a charming smile before she left. He resumed leaning heavily against the doorframe and was now eyeing one very bewildered looking Edward Elric. "Edward is it?" Roy's mocking tones weren't doing anything for Ed's headache at the moment. "Not to you it isn't." Ed snarled, baring his teeth at the ceiling rather than sitting up to confront Roy it wasn't worth the effort. A good natured chuckle resounded from the other side of the room, Roy seemed to be getting some kind of enjoyment out of this and it only seemed to piss Ed off even more. "Hold up there, I barely know you. I don't think that we should allow the waning formalities and pet names just yet." Roy allowed a smirk to slip over his ivory features, as his directed intentions were now obvious. "I'm not gay!" Ed snapped, as he felt his head sink further into the pillow, a dark crimson blush crept up inside his cheeks. He wanted to find himself the nearest plane out of Central City and go far away from the asshole on the other side of the room known as Roy Mustang.

"You could've fooled me Elric." A genuine grin spread across Roy's features, as he seemed to adapt a matter-of-a-fact tone that made him sound to much like the teacher's pet he had proved to be when asking Smith to get out of ISS.

"_Good for nothing Bastard_." Ed grumbled as he threw his left hand over his forehead trying to comfort himself in the least. His head was pounding and he knew that in a matter of minutes he would be forced from his comfortable perch atop the steel plated exam table and dragged up towards the Principal's office for an investigation.

"There you go again with your pet names. I thought I told you Elric, I barely know you." Roy sounded overly amused with the conversation as he allowed his obsidian eyes to wander in Ed's direction. Ed growled in agitation but said nothing; he knew that Mustang was just pushing his buttons now. He wondered vaguely in the back of his aching head what exactly he had done to Mustang to cause the boy to hate him so much. He couldn't remember now, all he knew was that he had barely known the guy a few hours and now he was already on the top of Ed's shit list. It seemed like a natural reflex to hate Mustang, something deep inside him despised the guy and he didn't even know him. It might have just been because of the first impression that the older boy had given him. Whatever it was, Ed was sure that it was a hate that would be likely to last. "I'M NOT GAY!" Ed shouted at the top of his lungs, he would've flailed his arms too had he not been so tired. "Shh.. You're just asking it for it Elric." Roy retorted his voice was at a normal level he didn't need to shout to be heard that was just the kind of voice he had.

"Wha-" Before Ed had a chance to question Roy's response the door flew open and the red headed nurse walked in. "Is everything alright in here? We heard yelling and we were afraid that something had happened." She asked seeming genuinely concerned. "NO." Both Ed and Roy responded in unison. Roy had edged over towards the table as their previous conversation had been ensuing before the door had shot open to reveal one concerned red headed nurse. Roy now promptly edged in front of the table and was facing the nurse head on, covering her view of Ed's face with his body. "He means – I mean…. No, we mean that nothing is wrong and we're both fine." Roy corrected himself repeatedly, but didn't once stammer in the sentence.

"Oh, alright than. Are you ready to go to the Principle's office than?" She asked, her voice was sweet again, like some sort of honey, thick and flowing. "Yes." Roy responded, with a simple nod of his head. "We are."

Ed felt the pounding resume in his head at the thought of getting up, but he did so anyways, sliding off the exam table and pushing past Roy. Black gloved automail fingers had wrapped around the ice pack over his right temple, he gently applied pressure to the area hoping that it wouldn't get worse. "Yeah I'm ready." Ed confirmed as he shoved past Mustang, heading towards the door. "Don't strain yourself, Edward." Roy's voice was innocent enough on the outside, but Ed was able to see the underlying message. The small alchemist shot Roy a savage look over his shoulder underneath the watchful chestnut colored eyes of the red headed nurse who had moved aside to allow them access to the door.

"Thank you for helping me." Ed mumbled as he nodded to the nurse on his way out of the room, Roy trailing behind him. The nurse nodded and rattled off a few "No problems" as Ed proceeded to exit the office. He walked through the small waiting room that also served as the office area for both of the nurse's desks. Ed kept his head low trying to remain inconspicuous as best as he could as he exited the nurse's office with Roy in tow, the soggy ice pack slapped unceremoniously against the large bruise on his forehead. "Wait up." Roy's voice came from somewhere behind Ed, he sounded somewhat hurt that the short blond had been trying to leave him behind. "Why should I?" Ed snapped, his voice was cold as the words were spoken underneath his breath. He didn't need to look even more like a criminal today, especially since the nurses were under the impression along with everyone else that Roy had "saved him." _The bastard, it seems like anyone will believe him. If it is that way than why didn't they believe me!_

Roy's long strides soon matched Ed's, and he was walking alongside the short blond down the hallway that led to the student service's desk. As they passed the student services desk a voice spoke up from near the counter, it was an older man's voice, "Why weren't you in class today Mustang?" The voice behind the question held authority and demanded the utmost respect. Ed's golden eyes rested on the now rigid figure that was Mustang standing beside him. Mustang had been stopped directly in his tracks by the voice, obviously the man was important.

Turning on his heel, Roy took a few precise steps across the lobby and than came to stand in front of the shelve of mailboxes that belonged to each one of the Assistant Principals, beside the man who had addressed him. Despite the fact that Mustang's back was to Ed, he could sense the hesitation with which Roy proceeded to tell the older man why he wasn't in school. Ed begun to study the man with whom Mustang was speaking, he was an older man with graying hair and small oval-shaped spectacles. An intense pair of amber eyes burned behind the thin wire-framed glasses as they bore through Mustang in a questioning manner. Ed had barely heard the exchange between them, as he found himself observing the man with an odd sort of curiosity, _who cared if Mustang was in class or not?_

Taking a few hesitant steps forward to allow people more freedom to slide past him down the hallway that adjoined the office, Ed realized that this conversation might actually take a while.

"…We have a new cadet that has to be registered. A Sophomore by the name of Elric." Ed's ears perked up at his own name, and he found his golden eyes swiveling around staring at the older man who apparently was some sort of teacher. His jaw unlatched and nearly fell to the floor at the sound of his name in a sentence spoken by a man that he didn't know. Roy's reaction was much the same, the boy's shoulders had taken on a sort of sag to them, and Ed couldn't even begin to imagine the look on the boy's face. "…He got thrown into the Staff class, thanks to the guidance lottery. Supposedly they don't have room for him in some creative writing class." The discussion continued without Ed even bothering to listen much. _What's he talking about? It has to be some different Elric, I have no idea what he's talking about…_

"I must be going, I have to get this paperwork back and signed before the bell rings for lunch. Tomorrow morning I expect to see you in class, is that clear Mustang?" The authority once again had free reign in the old teacher's voice. Mustang seemed to dumb-founded at first to even mutter an intelligible syllable, until he somehow finally managed to speak. "…Uh... Yes sir." The words threatened to fall over and blend into one another, but they didn't. Instead Mustang executed an almost military-style volte-face after muttering his those words, and headed back towards Ed. Without saying a word, Mustang pushed through the double doors and out underneath the hooded overpasses that served as the outdoor hallway.

"What was that about?" Ed demanded as soon as the heavy steel framed door to the student services office had clicked shut.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Roy muttered dismissing the topic as unimportant.

"It didn't sound like nothing. If it concerns me I have the right to know!" Ed growled, his golden eyes shone with a sudden determination to get to the bottom of the conversation between Roy and the unknown teacher.

"You'll find out soon enough." Roy replied, his tone reeked of finality as he begun to pick up the pace. Mustang started to walk faster rounding corners allowing the distance between Ed and him to lag. "Bastard." Ed grumbled as he lagged behind Mustang trying to make sense of the very none-sense making conversation.

The rest of the way up to the Principal's office, Mustang remained silent and didn't even breathe a word in Ed's direction. The short blond at once begun to decide that he could get used to this quiet side of Mustang, that was until they reached the Principal's office.


End file.
